From Single Life to Benedict

I had to look up the term "benedict" after seeing the title that Alfred gave to this section of his story. According Webster's dictionary a benedict is  "a newly married man who has long been a bachelor." In 1921 Alfred is 26 years old and Helen is 24. He's not that old, although many of his friends have been married and started families. This entry tells about his wedding day and the next few months of married life.

"March 26, 1921 was a beautiful day – bright sunshine all the day but a strong wind, yet it was warm.  I cranked up the Model T Ford and went to Mom’s house.  The trip to Bloomfield was a sort of joy ride.  I don’t think we ever had been together in the morning befor.  Yes, we were sort of embarrassed when we went to the County Clerks office to

get our marriage license.  I don’t remember for sure but I think the fee was 2^50, anyhow, I pulled out a ten dollar bill and the clerk jokingly said that the bride gets the change.  On our way back the strong wind broke one of the straps that held the top to the windshield of the car so we had to leave the top down (convertible?)  We stopped in Linton and got a couple of boxes of cigars and a quantity of candy for we knew we would have a big charivari.

Marriage License issued in Greene County Indiana 26 Mar 1921
for Alfred W. Moehlmann and Helen Bovenschen
from Moehlmann Family Collection

I am sure I ate dinner at Mom’s home and then was the long wait for 6 pm the hour set for the ceremony.  Cranked up the Model T – Mom was ready and dressed in a new suit, hat and all, Aunt Grace and Uncle Russell were waiting too for they were our witnesses and we drove to the parsonage at Sarons Church and were married there.  Rev. A.R. Fledderjohann in a simple ceremony – not even a ring – I had a feeling of my own, relative to a wedding ring.  I saw the wide, plain band wedding ring my mother wore and somehow I felt it took something more than a ring to make marriage a success and also a happy one – I felt that if we would make God our Boss and we would be His Stewards, we would have no controversies. 

Marriage Certificate issued by Saron Reformed Church
for Alfred W. Moehlmann and Helen Bovenschen
from Moehlmann Family Collection

Rev. Flederjohann went back to Mom’s house where we had our wedding supper with Mom’s folks and my mother & Uncle Dietz the only guests.  Then the wait for the gang to charivari and they didn’t disappoint us.  Even had to ride a rail.  They stayed with us untill 2 am.  The following day was Easter Sunday.  The day started out nice and clear but a big dark band of clouds was pulling in from the west and by the time we left for Sunday School it started to rain.  Aunt Grace & Uncle Russell went with us and during church service I never saw the sky light in the church get such a pelting of rain.  After church we went to Uncle Karl and Aunt Annie’s for a surprise birthday dinner for Uncle Karl.  Again just north of the Winters Corner the rain came down in torrents.  At that time this was a clay road.  All of the Kramer family and the Bovenschen family were at the dinner.

The parsonage is located to the right of the church.

 The first week we stayed with Mom’s folks.  I think that was a custom required by Mr. Bovenschen. The next day (Monday) I worked in the mine again.  That noon as we were about to eat our lunch on the “Parten” (where loaded cars were gathered to be pulled to the mine shaft) and I made the remark that I would eat the first dinner that my wife had fixed for me.  Well what happened was that Uncle Dietz and me had the same kind of lunch pails and we got them mixed in the washhouse, so he ate the first lunch that Mom made.  The worst part of it was that I didn’t eat any of our wedding cake at the supper and the last piece was put in the lunch pail so I didn’t get any of my wedding cake.

 The big mistake we made was that we started off to live with my mother and Uncle Dietz.  They insisted on this arrangement for my mother still was unable to take care of the house due to her surgery the fall befor.  I was afraid that the arrangement wouldn’t work out - account of my mother’s temperament.  It didn’t and the least said the better - So we set up housekeeping to ourselves at 189 C St. N.E. in Linton the middle of November. 

In the mean time, Aunt Grace and Uncle Russell were married and the week befor we moved into our new home, while we were staying at Mom’s folks I had the misfortune to step on a rusty nail in the mine that punctured my foot by entering the ball of my foot and coming out at my instep.  They called Moms folks that I was injured at the mine and asked Mr. Bovenschen to come there at once.  Mom was pretty worried but we drove past the house on our way to the doctors and assured her that I wasn’t hurt too bad.  We went to Dr. Thomas who had his office where Welch & Cornett are now located.  I had a painful foot that gave me a lot of trouble.  I took a “shot” for lock jaw.  As long as I could keep my foot higher than my head it didn’t hurt but would throb so I couldn’t stand it if I lowered it.  This lasted for about a week; then I was on crutches for a couple of weeks.  So we started our new home with me on crutches.  I think we started housekeeping the day befor Thanksgiving for Aunt Grace and Uncle Russell ate their first Thanksgiving dinner with us."

Grace Bovenschen Pope & Russell Pope
from Moehlmann Family Collection

How the the customs of dating have changed since Alfred's time. His wedding day is the first time that he and Helen have been together in the morning.  Again I had to look up the meaning of the term "charivari".  Here is a page explaining the practice.